


Sold on Solace

by Alice_Rolfe



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-14
Updated: 2014-11-14
Packaged: 2018-02-25 09:49:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,848
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2617436
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Alice_Rolfe/pseuds/Alice_Rolfe
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Will Solace has a way with medicine and may have just found the way to Nico's heart.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Sold on Solace

**Author's Note:**

> This is kinda part two to [Let Me Be Your Solace](http://archiveofourown.org/works/2437181) but you can also read it as a stand alone fic. I set this up to have a part three but who knows when it's coming because it's Nano season and I've got a novel to write.
> 
> *shrugs*
> 
> Enjoy, hopefully.
> 
> EDIT: Wow, what there's a [Part Three](http://archiveofourown.org/works/2624783).

"You can't play that card" Nico said pointedly. "You don't have enough stamina attached to it".

Will Solace rolled his eyes. "Then what am I supposed to do?"

Nico smiled smugly. "Give up and accept defeat" he said.

"No way, di Angelo. The student will surpass the master!"

Nico chuckled at Will's determination. He really thought he could eventually beat Nico at Mythomagic. In his dreams.

Just as Will motioned to place down his next card, a girl with brunette hair burst through the door. "Will" she began hurriedly. "It's Blake, the one with the sword wound, he's fading fast. We need you".

Will rose to his feet immediately, his expression suddenly becoming serious. "Nico, I gotta-"

"Go" Nico told him. "I'll be here when you're done". Nico wasn't even sure Will had hear him. He'd already hurried out of the door with the girl- Liza, Nico had learned was her name- a barrage of medical questions that Nico didn't entirely understand echoing though the hallway.

Technically, Nico's last day in the infirmary was yesterday, but Will had asked him to stick around for "medical reasons". Apparently, Nico still had to be monitored. Not that he was still sick. Will had given Nico a complete turn around. He even had his appetite back. Even so, Nico did as Will asked, vaguely aware of the idea that the son of Apollo may only be asking him to stay because he wanted to spend time with him. Not that Nico minded. Will was a great guy and an even better friend, but he felt a certain kind of guilt that came with pulling Will away from the work he loved so much.

The seven (minus Leo) came by to check on him while Will was out. Hazel made quite a show of pointing out how much happier Nico looked, and Piper pulled him into a big bear hug that he hadn't been expecting.

"Jason told me you plan on staying" she said softly. "That's great, Nico. Really". Her smile was so warm, so genuine, that it took all of Nico's will power to focus.

"Really?" he asked "What else did Jason tell you?" Nico glared at Jason, who raised his hands up in surrender.

"Nothing she didn't figure out on her own, man" he said.

Nico rolled his eyes, and tried to ignore Percy, who stood rather awkwardly in the corner with Annabeth. Nico was proud of himself for having cleared the air with Percy, but the confidence he'd had in that moment quickly faded when Will left the room. Nico wished he was here now. Percy and Annabeth were having a hushed conversation that Nico could only get bits and pieces of.

Finally, Percy joined the conversation and somewhat forced a grin on his face. "How you feeling, Nico?" he asked.

"Much better" Nico responded, his voice coming out a lot more relaxed and comfortable than he felt. "Will patched me up nicely"

"Right, right that's good" Percy began and then looked around at the others. "Uh do you guys mind me talking to Nico alone? It'll be quick"

Nico saw Piper shoot Jason an uneasy glance and Jason shrugged. Then Piper's voice filled the room, traces of charm speak recognizable in her tone. "Alright everyone, let's give the boys some space". She herded everyone out of the room like a mom does when she's trying to collect all her toddlers at the mall.

When the door slammed shut behind them, Percy flopped onto the bed beside Nico. "So I uh wanted to..." he began softly. "Apologize for everything. Everything I put you through. I promise you I had no idea, Nico and I can't even imagine what I put you through. I mean, I thought you hated me and I never wanted to-"

"Stop" Nico said raising his hand to interrupt. "You don't have anything to be sorry for".

"No, man, I do. You could've talked to me, told me. I wouldn't have" Percy paused for a second. "I wouldn't have judged you, dude. You're a good person, that's all that matters"

Nico raised his eyebrows. A good person? Him? Every good deed he did was to save the world or Percy Jackson. That didn't exactly make him Mr. Selfless.

"Thanks Percy, so are you, but really we're fine. You don't have to be-"

A knock on the door interrupted Nico, and Will poked his head in. The fact that Nico wasn't met with Will's easy going grin told him that things hadn't gone well with the patient. "Sorry guys. Piper told me you were in here talking, but uh Percy?"

Percy looked up from the bed at Will. "Yeah what can I do?"

"Actually I need you to leave" Will said. "I um, I need Nico for something". Will chewed his bottom lip nervously and Nico stared at him in confusion.

"Yeah, yeah no problem" Percy said and hurriedly went out the door.

Will waited until the door closed and then promptly burst into tears. Nico didn't even think. He just acted as quickly as he could, rushing to Will. He placed his hand in the son of Apollo's and moved Will's other hand away which was attempting to swipe at the tears rushing down his cheeks. Nico pulled Will to the bed, still sobbing.

At first Nico didn't know what to think or say. He had a pretty good idea of what probably happened, but patients died all the time. He rubbed Will's back while he tried to make sense of it all and his heart broke a little more when Will leaned over and buried his face in the crook of Nico's neck.

Nico had no idea how long they stayed like that. He just kept alternating between patting Wills back and murmuring calming words in Italian, a trick he learned from Bianca. Finally, Will sat up still sniffling.

"I'm sorry, Nico. I know physical contact isn't really your thing" Will said.

Nico was taken aback. He'd never seen the son of Apollo like this. Usually, Will was the one completely invading Nico's space, demanding contact and attention. Not that Nico minded, but apparently Will wasn't seeing it that way. Nico laced his fingers through Will's, a strange sense of deja vu overcoming him from when he and Will had sat in this same place and Nico made the bold choice to hold Will's hand. Apparently Nico's affection for Will needed to be reaffirmed and Nico was willing to do that after everything the son of Apollo had done for him.

"It's no big deal" Nico finally responded. "Just don't smother me" he said with a smirk, trying to lighten the mood. Will smiled through his tears and, guiltily, the grin made Nico's heart melt. "You wanna talk about it?" Nico asked.  
Will shook his head but spoke anyway. "They're all dying on me. I'm losing all of them. I know I'm a doctor and everything and I should accept death as it is, but I can't. I can't just... I mean they depend on me and..." Will's eyes started to water again and Nico tightened his grip on the son of Apollo's hand.

"Hey no more crying" Nico said. "I've seen you work, Will. You care so much for all these people and they have the best doctor in the world working on them. You're doing everything you can"

"But they still die" Will whimpered and buried his face in his hands.

Nico didn't know how to respond and eventually Will uncovered his face and his blue eyes locked with Nico's dark ones. "I shouldn't be dumping all this on you. You're way more miserable than I am". Will reached out tentatively to brush the bangs out of Nico's eyes, a gesture Nico was becoming quite accustomed to. "You'll get hurt if you can't see through those bangs, di Angelo" was the son of Apollo's excuse.

"Maybe, but you didn't want me to be alone and I don't want you to be alone either. You can talk to me about anything" And the thing is, when Nico said it, he realized it was true. He wanted to be able to help Will, wanted the son of Apollo to be able to talk to him about anything, everything.

Will gave him a weak half smile, and okay Nico couldn't take this anymore. It was breaking his heart, seeing Will like a sad, lost puppy.

"Hey, get up let's go" Nico demanded.

"Go where?" Will asked weakly.

"I'm taking you to the Underworld"

There wasn't a lot that could take Will off guard, but at that his eyes grew wide and his brow furrowed. "Have you lost your mind, Ghost Boy?"

Nico shrugged. "Probably"

"Nico you have like 0 of your strength right now. I just got you back to a normal state of health. You can't just Big Three it up and shadow travel to the Underworld and-"

"First of all, this isn't about me, it's about you" Nico interrupted. "Secondly, we're gonna stop by my cabin first so I can ask my father to get us there"

Will looked like he'd swallowed a watermelon. "You want me to go with you to talk to your father?"

Nico's heart dropped. He was still the son of Hades. Still a freak. Even if Will excepted him for a few days, the reality of who Nico was would come crashing in the minute Will met the lord of the dead.

"Maybe you're right, it was a dumb idea" Nico mumbled.

For a few moments, Will's sadness disappeared. "Hold on what are you doing? Are you going back into that little angsty bubble of yours? What did I do, what did I say? Tell me and I'll fix it"

Nico waved his hand dismissively.

"Nope, nuh uh" Will said pulling the son of Hades around to face him. "If I talk to you, you talk to me. What did I do?"

Nico sighed. "I'll always be the son of Hades. The creepy kid with the creepier dad. Even you freaked just at the thought of having to talk to him". Will rolled his eyes.

"What? Nico asked.

"I was afraid of your dad, but not because he's Hades, but because he might not like me" Will said simply.

"Wait, what?" Nico replied.

Will sighed and gestured at himself. "Son of Apollo, all brightness and sunshine going to see the Lord of the Dead all darkness and shadows? I'm not exactly likely to be his cup of tea"

Nico almost laughed. "Okay, first of all, my dad doesn't drink tea. Second of all, he doesn't really like anyone and if he did you wouldn't be able to tell. He's just got some issues, but he's family and hey I can put up with you so obviously darkness and sunshine can go together every now and then".

Will just stood there gaping at Nico like a fish. Sure, now he's speechless, Nico thought.

"C'mon we're going to my cabin" Nico said and pulled Will by the hand out the door.


End file.
